MIKE MORAN: Don't expect 2013 to be Fall River's year of change

The battle cry of perpetually dissatisfied voters can be heard every day of the year, not just during election season. Their opinions are served in generous portions at office water coolers, in coffee shops, on radio talk shows, in letters to the editor and through online comments.

The battle cry of perpetually dissatisfied voters can be heard every day of the year, not just during election season. Their opinions are served in generous portions at office water coolers, in coffee shops, on radio talk shows, in letters to the editor and through online comments.

“Re-elect no one,” they say. “We’ll remember in November,” they vow. “It’s time for a change,” they demand. That particular one is so popular that, despite its unoriginality, it’s often used by political candidates as well as by voters.

And here’s my favorite, “Hey, you were elected to represent ME.” That’s the one you hear whenever voters believe an elected official did something misguided, unwise or downright wrong. It’s easy to forget that political leaders are also compelled to represent your neighbor — the one whose views are exactly the opposite of yours. But that’s another story.

So for those who stand ready to trot out these and other overused slogans in anticipation of the upcoming city election, I’ve got some advice. Forget about it. Save them for another year. Put them in the bank and hope they earn interest.

That doesn’t mean voters should be silent when politicians do things with which they disagree. By all means, stand up, speak out and take action. But those who are begging for political change within Fall River’s city government are likely to be very disappointed come the fall.

The reason? Just take a look at the line-up card — November’s ballot. I suppose we could start by examining the September ballot, but that one won’t tell you much. Remember, there will be no preliminary battle for City Council or School Committee this year.

And that’s really the point. Gone are the days when there were 60 or more candidates lining up to serve on the City Council. Forget about having 30 or more choices for School Committee. It will be a long time before a heavily populated ballot greets voters on preliminary Election Day in Fall River.

Mayor Will Flanagan must be sleeping like a baby at night as he considers the potential electability of his current opponents. Can you say cakewalk? However, I’m certainly looking forward to Joe Carvalho’s contributions to the mayor’s race. He’s a smart guy, so he may have a little fun and raise some hell during the campaign.

As for the council, don’t expect an overhaul in November. While we are assured of three new councilors due to the departure of Brad Kilby, David Dennis and Eric Poulin, we also need to consider the electoral habits of Fall River voters. Bear in mind, if there’s one category of candidate that we like almost as much as incumbents, it’s former incumbents.

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And it’s worth noting that all the remaining incumbents don’t appear particularly vulnerable — not this year. So with Leo Pelletier and Cathy Ann Viveiros in the hunt for one of the three open seats, the smart money is on them to do well. If the pro-incumbent theory holds, it would leave only one additional vacancy to fill.

For the School Committee, one newcomer will replace the retiring Rick Pavao. Are the remaining incumbents in trouble? I doubt it, despite the school department’s many complex challenges.

This is not to say that there aren’t some good prospects on the list of challengers for both offices. Leave aside the ones who surface every two years and never even mount a credible campaign. Thankfully, there are others who show promise, but they’re competing for a small number of genuine openings. The at-large system of voting guarantees an advantage to those already in office. Add to that the fact that voter turnout has been dismal in recent years, and unfortunately, there’s every reason to expect a continuation of that embarrassing trend.

So leaving the mayor’s office aside for the moment, there will definitely be change on the city council and school committee next January. But it not likely to be change created by the voters. It may be due to the voluntary exiting of the politicians themselves. Remember in November? Like I said, forget about it.